User`s guide

SGI Gigabit Ethernet Adapter For Windows NT

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About the SGI Gigabit Ethernet Adapter

Features

Full-duplex Gigabit Ethernet interface (IEEE 802.3z)

Duplex SC fiber-optic connector for 62.5 micron or 50 micron multimode fiber medium

Interoperability with existing Ethernet and Fast Ethernet equipment

Standard Ethernet frame size (up to 1,518 bytes)

Jumbo Frames support for Windows NT (optional 9,000 byte frames for server-to-server

traffic)

Adaptive interrupt frequency (maximizes network throughput; adapts to traffic load)

Dual DMA channels

33/66 MHz, 32-bit or 64-bit PCI bus master with adaptive DMA

PCI Local Bus Rev 2.1 compliant: 17.3 cm x 10.7 cm (6.8" x 4.2")

ASIC with on-chip MAC and dual RISC processors

Universal dual voltage signaling (3.3V and 5V)

Status LEDs

Protocols and Interfaces

The SGI Gigabit Ethernet Adapter is interoperable with existing Ethernet equipment assuming

standard Ethernet minimum and maximum frame size (64 to 1518 bytes), frame format, and

compliance with the following standards and protocols:

Gigabit Ethernet (IEEE 802.3z)

Logical Link Control (IEEE 802.2)

Flow Control (IEEE 802.3x)

Jumbo Frames Su

ort

When sending Ethernet traffic at Gigabit speeds, considerable bandwidth is consumed by the

overhead of handling a multitude of standard 1,500 byte packets. SGI Gigabit Ethernet Adapt-

ers support Ethernet frames of up to 9,000 bytes. Host CPU utilization is significantly reduced

and network throughput is enhanced when enabling Jumbo Frames between servers that have

SGI Gigabit Ethernet Adapters.

An SGI Gigabit Ethernet Adapter can support standard Ethernet frames and Jumbo Frames at

the same time. When attached to an a switch that supports Jumbo Frames, Jumbo Frames are

sent only between servers with adapters that support Jumbo Frames. Jumbo Frames are auto-

matically fragmented into standard Ethernet frames by the switch when sending to all other

standard Ethernet devices.